Ko Quaye, from UDFA to a Key Piece of the Jaguars Defensive Line?

With D'Anthony Smith likely gone for the year with an Achilles's tear, the Jaguars will be needing to find a suitable replacement in the defensive line rotation. After releasing players like John Henderson and Montavious Stanley, the loss of an expected key contributor is a potentially huge loss. However, there could be some light at the end of the tunnel. Enter in UDFA DT Kommonyan Quaye.

If you're not familiar with Quaye, Adam profiled him as part of the 2010 UDFA Profile series. Quaye was one of, if not the, most intriguing UDFAs the Jaguars signed this year. As Adam pointed out, if for no other reason than the amount of attrition the Jaguars made at defensive tackle, Quaye was going to have a realistic shot at making the 53 man roster. Now with D'Anthony Smith's injury, assuming Quaye plays well during the preseason, Quaye is almost assured to make the roster.

Although Kommonyan played as a nose tackle at South Dakota, he likely doesn't have the bulk to do that in the NFL. For comparison's sake, Ko is 6'1 307 while Terrance Knighton is 6'3 and somewhere between 335 and 350. Quaye's frame is much closer to that of Tyson Alualu and D'Anthony Smith's, which seems to indicate the Jaguars believe he can play the 3 technique.

Judging from his highlights and scouting reports, he does have some pass rush ability, but doing it in the Great West Conference and the NFL are two very different things. His Pro Day numbers are extremely impressive, including 35 bench reps that would've put him in the Top 5 of the Combine had he been invited.

However, the question remains, how much can you expect out of a guy who last year was played in a conference that didn't have a single player drafted in 2010?